Is iomaí faibheanna atá agam leis an amhrán sin! I understand most of the words yet the sense of the whole eludes me.Is it an Aislinn,or have I been misled by the appearance of the 'speirbhean' and even,unusually,'spéirbhruinneal'? Some words I couldnt find in O Donaill at all- archaic or confined to An Rinn maybe.

Aréir 's mé ag téarnanh ar neoin
Ar an thaobh thall den teora ina mbím
'Sea do thaobhnaigh an speirbhean im' chomhair
D'fhág taomanach breoite lag tinn
Le haonghean dá mein is dá cló
Da briathra 's dá beal tanaí binn
Do léimeas faoi dhéin dul 'na comhair
Is ar Eirinn ní neosfainn cé hí

A ghrá ghil bí páirteach liom fhéin
Is go háirithe dá bhéidir liom scríobh
Bheinn ag gáire le bánchnis na gcraobh
Dá bhfaighinn áirithe ó aoinne cé hí
Níl a chairde ró-shásta liom fhéin
Chun áras a dhéanamh ná tíos
Ach ó tá sí de réir ráite do bhéil
Ní náir duit a léamh dúinn cé hí

There are several(longer) versions but I have this one on a cd.neos=inis=tell.cad faoi 'aoinne' though? Any help with the meaning would be appreciated.

PS 'spéirbhruinneal' appears in another version,lovely word.

aoinne = éinne = aon duine

GRMA a Abigail,I'll get there in the end.But has she forgotten to write him or is she in fact Ireland herself?There is an english verse in between extolling the beauty of the Déise country.But it seems to have no relevance to the nitty gritty.

It is a love song between real people. I have a vague recollection of hearing the story - there was some good reason why the singer should not be in love with this particular woman (maybe she was his brothers wife) and so he was not going to reveal her name - even if he were given Ireland as a reward for revealing it.

Bean chéile dá dhearthar: sin leagan nár rith liom riamh. Má b'é an cás - agus na nósanna mar a bhídis - ní nach ionadh nach neosfadh sé cé hí - ar Éirinn nó ar aon luach eile!

Ní cuimhin liom anois cár chuala mé é. Níl sé soiléir ach oiread an bhfuil níos mó ná guth amháin i gceist san amhrán.

(Message edited by aonghus on November 19, 2009)

Amhráin na Rinne é, an ea? An bhfuil aon eolas agat faoi?

Tá sé luaite leis an Rinn ceart go leor, chan Nioclás Tóibín é.

Ach thairis sin, níl fhios agam.

Chualaidh mé ag Maria Ní Chumhaill (nó ainm mar sin) é, amhránaí as Gaoth Dobhair, ar albam 'Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair'.

Chualaidh mé ag Maria Ní Chumhaill (nó ainm mar sin) é, amhránaí as Gaoth Dobhair, ar albam 'Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair'.


Seo é nasc, mar shampla:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfngXJMyoS4&feature=related


(Agus seo ceann eile: Coinleach Glas an Fhómhair - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0M7PLJZKw&feature=related)

As Aonghus says it is associated with Nioclás Tóibín of An Rinn.Also, the verse as béarla mentions the Avonmore 'sweeping down to the sea'.Abhainn Mór being the Munster Blackwater which enters the sea at Youghal on the Cork -Waterford border.I knew it had nothing to do with the story,essentially.But, is this the 'border' he has crossed 'thall den teora' in Line 2?

I still feel there are other verses out there somewhere.If he is in love with his sister in law,I'm afraid the Spéirbhean ain't going to help him.The Goddess is not mocked!

Spéirbhean just means beautiful woman.

But in the 'Aislinn' poems does not the term Spéirbhean' often connote one of the fairy folk ( Clíodhna mar shampla)or 'Sovereignty'or simply Ireland?

Not in this case,though.I think it's never going to yield up its secrets - rather like the Gaoth Dóbhar song 'Maighdean Mhara'.Ach sin scéal eile.

Is fíor duit faoin Aisling (vision). Ach ní dóigh liom gur Aisling atá i gceist anseo.

chuala mé gur sagairt a bhi i gceist - nil fhios agam an bhfuil se fior

bhi Liam Clancy ag canadh

eadaoin

Sagart a bhí sé - mar bharr ar an donas!? Tá Liam as Tiobraid Aran theas in aice bPórt Láirge.So An Rinn seems to be the locale alright.Maith agat a Eadaoin.

Gramadach! Mo leithsceal - 'is as Tiobraid Aran é Liam' I suppose is more correct.